Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-09-03

TO me.
1--WE had passed out of the straits, and,
in sight of the rocky coast of Labrador,
were heading for the open sea, when we
got befogged.
II cannot make YOU understand how
dense that fog was, how it bewildered us.
and how very cold the air grew.
I'VE could not tell whether we were
drifting or standing still. There was a
heavy swell under us and We could hear
the crushing and crashing Of ice blocks
grinding against each other but how near
or far they were We had no means of find
ing out.
Captain Abbott looked anxious. 1t was
| only his second voyage along this coast,
and Peggy, for the first time since We had
left home, after sitting quiet for long time
upon an upt1rned bucket, began running
aimlessly from place 30 place, mewing
mournfully and piteously.
81 remember that night at supper, stuff
ing my pockets as full of sea biscuit as
they would hold, and made up my mind
to sleep with one eye open, for, like Peggy,
] scented danger ahead without knowing
what shape it would take.
Il went TO my bunk as usual, but with
out undressing Peggy was by my side l
was awakened-at what hour | cannot tell
by sensation of being violently dashed
into ice-cold water and compelled to swim,
| with an awful pain in the back of my head
81 heard Pete, one Of the crew, say:
90 Let 90 and I'll save you
Il did so and then lost consciousness.
When regained it, was lying upon my
back upon some coarse, wet sand in cove,
over which there projected, like a canopy,
the point OF sharp, jagged, black rock.
The sun was shining brilliantly, the
air was warmer, and the white surf as il
rolled in almost touched my feet.
4 half-mile out, with n front about 80
feet perpendicular to the sea, was mag
nificent iceberg. lis top had the polish of
ivory and the smoothness of FURNISHED
steel. 1t seemed TO my bewildered eyes a
combination Of castle, cathedral and Al
pine peaks. Lower down it had crags,
cliffs, caverns, waterfalls, towers, steeples,
roofs and gables 1t was moving slowly.
The water surrounding it was girdle of
pale emerald and violet color, so clear and
lovely that | wondered if had died and
this was part of heaven with its sea of
glass and its many mansions
Suddenly, something rough and warm
licked my forehead | looked backward
and grasped Peggy, who sat at my head,
gazing at me as benignly as guardian
angel.
1--WE had drifted to the shore on little
island off the coast of Labrador, struck
against the corner of the iceberg, and our
vessel had been wrecked All of the crew
| had been lost but six.
found it out after had slowly picked
myself up, for | was dreadfully stiff and
sore, and had climbed over the crags to
where the men sat in solemn council
Captain Abbott was with them, and Pete
also. 1t was TO Pete's humanity that
owed my life-and Peggy did also-al-
though he would not acknowledge it.
She swan like duck he said, and
there was never such 4 lively rudder us
her little tail
my pockets were still full of the bis
cult now well soaked, which l ate thank
fully, Peggy swallowing her share as
! though bareback soaked in oceans brine
was luxury. The island, without a tree
or shrub, was covered in patches with
small rocks, but there were no boulders
nearer than the cliffs, against which the
water, both at high and low tide, dashed
with such fury that it was impossible to
explore them. The only vegetable life
upon it was a small, vine-like moss, which
had lost It's juices, but which We found was
good for fuel. Captain Abbott had tight
| fitting tin safe in his pocket full of
matches, with which we kept up an excuse
for Il camp fire.
"A chest Of flour was all that we could
recover from the wreck of the vessel and
that had lodged among the rocks near
which I was thrown. Tie -four was
pretty well wetted, still we managed to
make balls of it pills We called them,
which we would scorch or toast on mar
row stone slab. We found fresh water
in little crevice in the earth, but we
dared not waste drop of it. At night
We huddled together as closely as We
could lie, under the caves of rock, but
We nearly froze. | think my fingers
would have been frozen but for the nightly
warmth of Peggy's breast against which
! had laid them.
DAY after day We looked and PRAYED
for vessel to come to our rescue, and
each day our stock of -four grew smaller
One morning Peggy caught sea-pigeon
whose flesh made us & genuine Thanks
1 giving dlilllNls A'IlC sltO It's TIT
'At length the last grain OF -four was
gone and We realized that we were
wrecked upon this island to slowly
starve.
'' L can talk about it now, since I have
had good warm supper, but the real
ity of starving is awful. ! used to dream
of towers of roast beef, lakes of butter
milk and islands Of fresh pumpkin pies,
and awaken to the company of starving
men, nearly insane enough to want to
eat each other. | saw very little of Peggy
those last few days: she seemed always
hunting another sea-fowl. Occasionally q
few tiny capelin-which is small fish,
like sardine, and used for batting Goldfish
were stranded upon the beach, which
she ate with avidity.
"One of our six men was Portuguese
named Joe,a kind earted fellow whom we
all liked, but who was evidently dying
from starvation, not disease.
"One morning, lust before daylight, and
after tempestuous night during which
the warmth of Peggy's little body as she lay
across my breast, think, kept me from
freezing, | awoke from blissful dream l
was lying the nearest to Captain Abbott
and Pete, whose whispered conversation
had awakened me.
"Said Pete; He'll be off to-day, for
he's nearly gone. Do you think we can
stand it, capen? Wen all 90 if We don't!
Great Father! The idea il too hor-
rible Pd sooner die. Let us begin on
poor Peggy. She's only cat, if she does
| seem human in her love for Ned replied
the Captain.
Peggy, sure enough Do You know
never once thought of her. she seems
like one of u.s. said Pete. But Ned
would sooner die than see her killed to be
! eaten. Poor little fellow
90 He need not know of it. III manage
that, and we'll have a meal to-day, if we
never have another" the Captain replied.
al had not moved since l awoke, and of
course they supposed me asleep. By this
time realized the exact subject of their
! talk. Joe's dead body was to be eaten to
sustain the lives of those left. You can
family realize how agonizing are the pangs
Of hunger when they can cause such brave
humane men as those were to forget their
manhood and become cannibals. But to kill
Peggy Awful As fast as l could | tried
TO reason about it. She was only
dumb, soulless brute, for whom there was